Arkansas coach John L. Smith has connections with two of Nick Saban's assistants

First-year Alabama offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier played for John L. Smith at Idaho and served on his staff at Michigan State. (The Birmingham News/Joe Songer)

TUSCALOOSA, Alabama -- Two members of Alabama coach Nick Saban’s staff – offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier and offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland – once worked with Arkansas coach John L. Smith when he was the head coach at Michigan State.

Nussmeier played at Idaho for Smith and was the first quarterback the coach recruited.

“I somehow saw some athletic ability there that nobody else did, because he didn’t have much,” Smith said Monday at his news conference in Fayetteville, Ark.

Smith, hired as Arkansas’ interim head coach in the spring when head coach Bobby Petrino was fired, recalled that Nussmeier went on to win the Walter Payton Award, the Heisman Trophy of Division I-AA and then went on to play pro football before joining .

"He was a great player for us," Smith said.

After he finished his pro career as a player and assistant coach in the Canadian Football League, Nussmeier joined Smith at Michigan State.

Alabama offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland worked seven years at Michigan State, the last four under John L. Smith, now the interim head coach at Arkansas. (The Birmingham News/Mark Almond)

Stoutland spent seven years at Michigan State, the last four with Smith as the offensive line coach.

“I hate those guys,” Smith said when asked what it will be like coaching against them. “Yeah. They both have left, right? So they have to be traitors.

“The day you play them, you’ve got great loyalty and great love for those people. Again, they’ve been a part of you and a part of your family. So, going against them, it’s like wanting to beat your brother. You never want to lose with your brother. I’m sure you got in fistfights with your brother growing up? … Afterwards, you’re going to hug.”

Saban was asked what it means to have two assistants who coached for Smith as a resource in an upcoming game.

“I think that John L. is a very, very good coach,” Saban said. “But the systems that they're running there are certainly totally congruent with the offense they ran last year, which was coach Petrino's. And the defensive coordinator comes from Ohio State, and they're doing the same kind of stuff they did at Ohio State.

“If John L. was calling the plays or running the defense or something like that, that may be something that would be beneficial. We're just trying to look at what they do and do the best job we can getting our players in the best position to have a chance to be successful.”